Overlooked and Underserved: A Black Early Childhood Special Education Teacher and the Social Positioning of Smartness

• In Event: Race, Racism, Overlooked

Abstract

This counternarrative accounts the story of Leena, a Black preschool special education teacher. Black female early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers represent a wealth of knowledge and the potential to teach for racial and disability justice in schools at a time when Black and Brown bodies are being policed, surveilled, excluded, and rendered invisible in U.S. public schools. Despite their potential for resistance and relevant pedagogy, however, Black ECSE teachers have been socially positioned as less than. Leena’s story captures the overlooked and underserved pedagogical choices and practices of Black ECSE teachers. She connects P-12 school experiences and her pedagogy as a Black female early childhood special education teacher with implications for preschool Black girlhoods intersecting with ability.

Author

• Saili S. Kulkarni, San Jose State University